New US Ambassador immerses himself in Pinoy culture

MANILA, Philippines – Believe it or not, there are people in this world who are paid to travel to another country and live there for a certain period of time. Diplomats are given the chance to explore new places and meet new people in every 3 or 6 years – depending on their government’s imposed tour of duty.

But aside from all the fun, diplomats are also given a great deal of work and huge responsibilities – making sure that his country and host government maintain a good and healthy relationship, representing their government, talking to possible investors who wish to do business with their country, assisting their nationals abroad, and a lot of other equally interesting but hard work.

Some even say that though traveling and moving can be fun, it can sometimes be hard as well. But the key to overcoming the hardships of constant transfers is getting to know the people and immersing yourself in your new host country’s culture – which is surely bound to be fascinating.

Recently appointed American Ambassador to Manila Philip Goldberg did exactly that. Together with Manila tourism consultant Carlos Celdran and Internet sensation Ramon Bautista, the Ambassador went to Intramuros to learn about the Philippines’ history and try out Filipino food as part of his cultural immersion. 

Ramon even got him to take a selfie with him – all of this on video.

The Ambassador, in the video, says that this is the first time he has been in this part of Asia and that he can’t imagine a better and more exciting place to be. After being here for a few weeks, Ambassador Goldberg says he is looking forward to learning more about the history of the Philippines and its people.

Watch him try chicken-pork adobo with extra rice (the Filipino way, of course), pansit, and halo-halo at the Walled City here:

– Rappler.com